“Insanity,” novelist Rita Mae Brown wrote, “is doing the same thing, over and over again, but expecting different results.” By that standard, the long history of tablet computers doesn’t quite count as insanity–manufacturers have tried a variety of form factors and features over the years. But the results are the same, over and over again: failure. It’s the classic example of a gadget that the industry keeps coming back to and reintroducing with all the hype it can muster–and which consumers keep rejecting.

Today, Apple is announcing its first true tablet. It took the company thirty-four years to get around to it, and it’s just about the only outfit in the business that abstained until now. Whether the device looks brilliant or misbegotten, all evidence suggests that there won’t be much that’s repetitious about it. Even so, it’s worth looking back at more than two decades of attempts to get tablets right–none of which really succeeded, and some of which failed on a monumental scale.

“Tablet” is a squishy term. For the purposes of this story, I’m limiting it to general-purpose computing devices (usually running general-purpose operating systems) aimed at consumers and business professionals. That rules out the two areas where tablet-esque gizmos have found success: PDAs (and their descendants, touch-screen smartphones) and units designed with specialized business applications in mind. But it still leaves numerous platforms and devices to contemplate. And the list that follows is far from comprehensive.

The critics speak: “I was quite impressed by the pen interface and how easy it is to learn.”–Rod Chapin, InfoWorld

What happened: By tablet standards, the GRiDPAD—-which was designed for businessy applications such as data collection in the field—-was well reviewed and seems to have sold reasonably well. But AST (which bought GRiD Systems from Tandy, which had acquired it in 1988) ran into trouble in the mid-1990s. When it collapsed, the GRiDPAD disappeared.

Relevant factoid: The GRiDPAD was an early creation of Jeff Hawkins, who went on to sell more pen-based devices than anybody else when he founded Palm and invented the PalmPilot.

The critics speak: “Every time I look at the Momenta or use it, I think it should be knocking my socks off. But in actual use, the compromises of its design keep getting under my skin.”–Rafe Needleman, InfoWorld

What happened: Momenta started out as one of the most-hyped startups of the early 1990s, but its machine–innovative though it may have been–was slammed for being overpriced and underpowered. After burning through $40 million, laying off most of its staff, and making multiple changes in leadership–and only around ten months after its product hit the market–the company closed up shop in August of 1992.

Relevant factoid: Momenta founder Kamran Elahian started successful companies before and after, but chose to keep MOMENTA as the license plate on his Ferrari as a sign of humility.

What happened: The Concerto was one of numerous tablets from the early 1990s that had everything going for it except for the general disinterest of the PC-buying public. Compaq responded to disappointing sales by slashing the Concerto’s price by $1,000. Then it discontinued the system altogether in 1994.

What happened: AT&T reportedly burned through $40-$50 million to buy Go, the company that created the PenPoint pen operating system, and Eo, its hardware spinoff. After the gadget flopped, Ma Bell decided to refocus its energies on devices that packed similar functionality into a more phone-like shape–which was a visionary move considering that smartphones didn’t exist yet. But months later, in July of 1994, it just gave up.

Relevant factoid: Jerry Kaplan, cofounder of Go and Eo, wrote about the companies’ short, ill-fated life in his Silicon Valley classic Startup. It’s still in print.

22 Comments For This Post

I would argue that you should have included Apple’s Newton Message Pad. I actually still own several versions of the device, including one of the clearcase prototypes of the Message Pad 120.

The device itself of course recieved a bad wrap for its handwritting recognition. The problem with the recognition was not the OS, but the fact that Apple used whole word recognition, which in theory would work great, however Apple only included a 5000 word dictionary on the device. If you took the time to add words to the dictionary, after a few days you could pretty much get 100 percent recongition. I would argue this was actually better than Palms approach, and I have own many Palm devices as well.

What doomed the Newton was the fact that at the time there was no 3G data network. I had a modem/fax card that made it somewhat usable as a communications tool, but without the networking, it was simply a device ahead of its time.

The original Casio branded version of the device was probably the best form factor for any of the pad type devices. It wouldn’t fit in your shirt pocket. But it would easily fit in a coat pocket or a woman’s purse, and it was comfortable to hold in your hand. That form factor would work great today with a stylus and color screen.

Yeah I think because a company like Apple took the risk to introduce this, the door’s been opened in the touch-screen world. I can only imagine the chatter if Windows introduced a tablet first.

Right now I don’t see the functionality or usefulness of the iPad (and really, the name is awful), but I think in time we’ll look back and see it as an avenue or channel for some really amazing things in the future.

Apple has always been a trendsetter in this space. The new so called tablet (IPAD) is far superior to what was on offer earlierr. The earlier tablets were just laptops which had the ability to turn the screen around and take notes.

This one is a lot more with Iphone features and capabilities and I am sure this will be a hit.

Thanks for this post! I was looking for a good summary of the past… the moment I heard about the iPad saying… its been done. Granted not in apples i style, but the tablets been around for a while. I’m interested to see how this fairs.

Ah the blasts from untethered world and before WiFi – so notable mnetions should include Qubit who actually patented the form factor – derived the notion of the walled garden on a device and was in CES keynote by Sun in Whirlpools fridge of the future including disneyland’s home of the future – now long past and again a pioneer with arrows in the back.

Then DT who actually commercialized tablets on Qubit designs whereby we sold 000’s of these for specialized home control use. Apps sell hardware.

You’ve got to fail plenty of times before you get it right. At some point, they’ll get it right. And I believe we’re closer than we think. Did you see the cool ones used in Caprica? They’re made of disposable paper. I want that.

The long fail?? So what do you think is mounted in all those police cars that pull you over? Or those nurses carrying that thing around? Jump in a taxi lately? Fly on commercial airlines? On private jets? On single engine? Those touch screens in there providing flight plate approach instructions are not exactly displaying screensavers.

I work in a company that installs this stuff worldwide and TabPCs have been used for everything from in-car entertainment and trucking industry all the way to commercial avionics, military combat vehicles and in-plane guided missile systems over Iraq.

Are you headed for the Olympics? Tabs are the standard toolkit for the athletes. Defusing a makeshift bomb or landmine? The Tab Cobra is gonna help save your life. Targeting taliban from an F-15 with no digital acquisition system? The Tab will verify and acquire target lock for you in real time.

How about an ambulance ride? Its in there to keep you alive. Remember that when you finally get to ride on one.

It's funny how memory is now in such abundance compared to before. And now that we have a lot of it, we want more because we are used to too much memory it seems with our non-mobile devices. Also, so much for the pen thing right?

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